Expert Roundtable
Human Rights Council 54th session
If they know, we will not be safe, they will look for us, they will follow us until they find us
Survivors’ solutions to improving victim and witness protection in accountability and truth-seeking processes
Date: 9 October 2023 – 1300-1500 (CET) – Lunch will be provided
Location: Geneva Academy
Moderated by: Jelena Aparac, Head of Policy, Advocacy, and Research, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
For the first time, LAW will bring together victims and witnesses of crimes committed during the conflicts and international experts on human rights and the protection of witnesses. They will share their experience of trying to seek justice, and of the very real risks of stigma and reprisals that they face. Together with international experts, with concrete experience in victim and witness protection, the roundtable will establish (1) a set of recommendations for courts, tribunals and treaty bodies, and (2) concrete actions that can be undertaken immediately and with limited funding by organisations working with victims and witnesses, to improve the experience of those who wish to seek justice.
Sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.